State of Illinois
91st General Assembly
Legislation

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91_HR0942

 
                                               LRB9115141KBkb

 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, With more than 2,100 community pharmacies in the
 3    State, community pharmacies constitute a substantial industry
 4    in the State of Illinois; and

 5        WHEREAS, Community pharmacies employ  more  than  125,000
 6    persons in the State of Illinois; and

 7        WHEREAS,  Community pharmacies pay more than $1.2 billion
 8    annually in State taxes; and

 9        WHEREAS, Community pharmacies are a critical part of  the
10    health care delivery network in the State of Illinois; and

11        WHEREAS,    Community    pharmacies    provide   critical
12    prescription services to  Medicaid  beneficiaries  and  other
13    indigent persons; and

14        WHEREAS,  The cost of acquiring drugs from pharmaceutical
15    manufacturers has increased 99.4% over the past 5 years; and

16        WHEREAS, The  continuing  shortage  of  pharmacists  have
17    caused  their salaries to increase continuously over the same
18    period; and

19        WHEREAS, In recent years the dispensing fee paid  by  the
20    State of Illinois has decreased by 3.6% as a portion of major
21    Medicaid cost components; and

22        WHEREAS,  The Department of Public Aid recently announced
23    its intention to reduce reimbursement for  pharmacy  services
24    provided  to  Medicaid beneficiaries by more than $85 million
25    over the next 19 months; and

26        WHEREAS, The  proposed  reductions  would  undermine  the
27    ability  of  community pharmacies to provide high quality and
28    efficient care to their patients; and

29        WHEREAS, The Department of Public  Aid  has  proposed  to
 
                            -2-                LRB9115141KBkb
 1    implement   these   reductions  without  conducting  a  study
 2    concerning the adequacy of the proposed reimbursement  rates,
 3    as required by federal law; and

 4        WHEREAS,  The  Department  of  Public Aid has proposed to
 5    implement  these  reductions  in  pharmacy  reimbursement  as
 6    emergency rules, thereby eliminating legislative oversight by
 7    the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules for at least  150
 8    days; and

 9        WHEREAS,   The  Department  of  Public  Aid  proposes  to
10    implement  these  emergency  rules  at  a  time   immediately
11    following  a working session of the General Assembly, thereby
12    ignoring an opportunity for the  General  Assembly's  insight
13    into budgetary priorities; therefore, be it

14        RESOLVED,   BY   THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE
15    NINETY-FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS,  that
16    the Department of Public Aid is strongly urged to refrain (1)
17    from  imposing  any  reductions  in  reimbursement  under the
18    Medicaid  program  for  pharmacy   services   without   first
19    completing  the federally-mandated study of pharmacy costs in
20    a full, fair, and impartial manner, and (2) from implementing
21    any pharmacy rate reductions in the form of  emergency  rules
22    or  by  any other method without first consulting the General
23    Assembly; and be it further

24        RESOLVED, That suitable  copies  of  this  resolution  be
25    presented to the Director of Public Aid and the Office of the
26    Governor of the State of Illinois.

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